Vance Havner.
-(1901 - 1986)
-Pastor and author
-Baptist
Vance Havner grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. He and his family attended Corinth Baptist Church, and the visiting preachers frequently stayed with his family. Given the many opportunities of having a preacher in his home, Havner had the chance to ask them questions, showing a constant hunger and thirst to know all he could about God and the Bible. He devoured everything he could read about God and was particularly drawn to the sermons and writings of Charles Spurgeon. If he wasn’t preaching, he had his nose in the Bible or a book by a Christian author. He stated he grew up with “a Bible in one hand and a bird book in the other - Pilgrim‘s Progress and Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.” He was baptized at age 10, licensed to ministry at 12, and ordained at 15. He later attended Wake Forest University and Moody Bible Institute but never graduated.
He described his preaching when he first began: I used “the liberal approach, which was beginning to gain favor. It did not become malignant in my case, but I did have enough of the virus in my system to preach popular sermons that convicted nobody. The unbelievers liked my preaching, and I had a good crowd, but many died unsaved under my ministry.” And of his preaching later in life: “The Lord made it clear to my heart that if I would preach the old message I had proclaimed as a boy, He would make a way for me. I remember reading J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism to great profit. I returned to the old message.”
Vance was known for his “sharp but necessary points, distinctively and memorably phrased,” monotone inflection, and the gift of getting his point across without having to say too much. He was direct, clear, and confident.
“What set Vance Havner apart from other preachers and teachers was his ability to get the point across without having to say too much. His often humorous one-liners could simultaneously make you smile while also piercing your soul.”
Vance Havner Biography in His Own Words (webpage) - This is my testimony from the summit of the years. I would change that little chorus and sing, “My Lord led the way through the wilderness; all I had to do was follow.”
Vance Havner by Doug Kutilek (article) - Vance was a genius at turning a phrase, creating a witticism, or composing a pun. His comments regularly had a sharp but necessary point and were distinctively and memorably phrased. Anyone who reads Havner’s writings will find himself jotting down not-to-be-forgotten quotes.
Past Masters: Vance Havner: An Unbeaten Path by Tim Wilkins (article) - Havner believed in “the direct preaching of the Bible” versus using a text as a springboard. He could preach one text but often would weave several texts together—as in his sermons “Look Who’s Here” or “Getting Used to the Dark.” We might categorize these sermons as topical, but in pulling several Old and New Testament verses together, Havner did not kidnap a verse from its context.
Vance Havner Sermons (audio) - Listen to free audio sermons by Vance Havner in mp3 format. For over 70 years, the church was blessed and challenged by the prophetic ministry of Vance Havner. Throughout his ministry, he lived and preached that a Christian should exhibit faithfulness to Jesus in all areas of life. He taught Christians to attend "the outliving of the living Christ." Havner wrote, "To some, Christianity is an argument. To many, it is a performance. To a few, it is an experience."
Who Was Vance Havner? by Jack Wellman (article) - some of the best quotes from any Christian in history come from Havner, like his quote about the church: “The church is a hospital for sinners and not a museum for saints.” He detested the social gospel because he saw it as a band-aid solution that didn’t address the heart issue of the necessity of repentance and faith.
The Best of Vance Havner - (ebook) - selections of the dynamic and delightful of one of America’s best-known itinerant evangelists. Throughout his fifty-two years in the ministry, he wrote many devotionals in his down-to-earth style
Vance Havner Daily Devotions (webpage) - devotions, sermons, and other resources.
“Nowhere is it easier to play with the gospel than in the ministry. With a pleasing personality, a gift of eloquence, a fine moral character, and plenty of business sense, one can take the gospel for a football and make a great many goals.”
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Dr. Vance Havner was a revivalist who authored nearly forty books during his ministry. His unique style has impacted thousands of God's people over the years. Many consider him the most quoted preacher of the 20th century. Listen to his sermons.
Many of these messages were recorded in the early to mid-1900s, and the audio recording equipment was not great then. But the messages are worth the extra focus that it takes to get it. This sermon is on the 12th chapter of Luke, beginning with verse 49.
In this episode, Vance Havner discusses the need for repentance. We cannot live, act, think, or speak like Christians should unless we first repent and allow the Spirit of God to indwell our lives.
After losing his wife, Vance Havner chronicled her illness, her death, and the days that followed. He speaks to those suffering as one who has been there, offering sympathy, solace, and strength for the journey. This book, previously published in paperback in 1974, sold more than 75,000 copies.
Sparkling gems from the most quoted preacher in America.
Are you feeling desperate? "Every one of the great heroes of faith were desperate people," Vance Havner reminds us. God delights in blessing those who are desperate for Him. If you are tired of mediocrity and long for God to move in your life, you need Holy Desperation!
Here is a key to Christian conduct and belief in times like these—when we see the disintegration of the church and moral standards, the destruction of America, the dynamics of “trendism,” and the dangers of departed power. Vance Havner issues a call to Christians, clear and loud, for genuine repentance, confession and forsaking of sin, separation from the world, submission to the Lordship of Christ, and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Only then will there be any use for missions, stewardship programs, or social involvement. “It is the strategy of the devil to keep good people silent in an evil time,” Havner writes, adding this caution: “There is no neutrality here. By his very absence, the church member who fails to take his place in the battle has taken sides with the enemy as surely as if he were openly with the army of the Antichrist.”
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